The Caleb Foundation has always held the door open to victims of domestic violence, offering a safe and affordable home whenever possible. Yet until now it was not clear the tremendous extent of the violence and how many residents carry this burden.

In the summer of 2003 The Caleb Group conducted a needs assessment to determine the level of domestic violence at our sites and identify needs. Female heads of households were randomly selected and participated in an hour-long survey. We learned that:

25% of women said that domestic violence influenced their decision to move into an affordable Caleb community;

computer and job skills training and youth programming currently being provided are a good start; yet

vast needs for increased services remain.

In response to this survey, The Caleb Group is designing programs to address issues of domestic violence at Caleb communities. The initiative will:

Develop more supportive housing for battered women and youth similar to the successful Horizons II, a transitional housing community in Dorchester, Mass.

Provide more families with safe, affordable housing.

Offer the two most requested services by victims: financial planning classes and women's support groups.

Address economic enhancement through job training.

Expand youth and teen programming to include themes of domestic violence prevention.

Train staff to recognize abuse, know how to support victims, and properly refer residents to services.

Increase service coordinators' time to coalesce with local domestic violence organizations.

Locate an international domestic violence organization for a future collaboration in Latin American or the Caribbean.

Caleb is uniquely positioned to help. The Caleb Group's physical presence within these communities uniquely positions staff to address these issues that are closest to home. Caleb is collaborating with existing local domestic violence organizations as much and whenever possible.

Warren Sawyer, the president, CEO and co-founder of The Caleb Foundation explains, "Now it is with compassion and eagerness that we begin to aid victims to reshape their lives to be safer and more meaningful while uplifting their spirits".